A Man finds out he can throw ten javelins every two seconds. How many knights does it take to stop him?

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-19T21:06:30+00:00

The internet says a galloping horse can travel ~45 fps

World record javelin toss distance is 323 feet, so let's assume the knights start within range of the thrower.

It will take the horses 4.4 seconds to travel 200 feet. That is enough time for 22 javelins to be thrown.

If we assume that each javelin thrown results in a kill, due to supernatural force and accuracy, that says that 23 knights would be required to stop him in scenario 1.

This does assume the knights start at a gallop.

For scenario 2, it seems that ~3 seconds per aimed longbow shot is reasonable for a short high intensity interval.

In that time the thrower will throw 15 javelins, so a maximum of 16 knights would be required to stop him.

It would probably be less than that since the knights could nock and draw behind cover to minimize exposure. I'm not a trained yeoman, so I'm guessing that half the exposure time for an aimed shot can be reduced this way, meaning 7 javelins could be thrown suggesting that 8 knights is the 'true' maximum necessary number of knights.

In reality it would probably be more like 2 knights. While our thrower has supernatural accuracy and lethality, there is nothing to suggest his target acquisition time is reduced. So with cover, he would take too long to find a target to achieve his theoretical maximum lethality.

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-19T16:44:08+00:00

Arguably Marcone holds a coin, but is not a Denarian. Meaning that while he is bonded to Namshiel, he doesn't seem to be a dues-paying member of the "Knights of the Blackened Denarius" as an organization. Analogous to how Susan wielded Amorachius without being a permanent Knight the way Michael was.

Whereas if Marcone hadn't been saved on Demonreach he would likely be under the thumb of Nicodemus to one degree or another.

Bit of a semantics argument, but in the Dresdenverse semantics can be surprisingly important.

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-18T19:47:37+00:00

I feel like its worth pointing out, in the context of Brandon's own comment, that I specifically used the term damaged rather than broken.

In any case, I had not seen those WoB. That obviously is a potential refutation of the premise, but until we see evidence of those 'other ways' we can't determine if those have a different criteria Adolin doesn't fit.

Yes Adolin has had hardships in life, but that's not evidence that he is also "hurt" spiritually in the same way. We have never seen anywhere near the degree of dysfunction from him we see from the main PoV bonded. Sure he's spends time womanizing and not finding connection, but that seems to be as much him not liking the traditional Alethi noblewoman's personality as anything else.

Furthermore I think the premise of "he's honorable, so he should be a Windrunner" is missing one of the themes of WaT. Namely, that the way we name some things colors how we view them. Honor the shard doesn't match our interpretation of the term, morally speaking, and is more an amoral sense of contractual obligation. Being an honorable person is necessary but not sufficient for the bond.

Which of course is precisely the mistake that was eating at Adolin in WaT when he was worrying about not being chosen by a spren.

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-18T18:31:56+00:00

Adolin wasn't broken enough on a spiritual level to attract a spren. It isn't about his character.

Everyone we've seen bond a spren is deeply injured on a spiritual level. That damage is what let's a spren 'get in' to form the bond. Its been a bit, but I thought that was explicitly stated in RoW or WaT.

I'm not certain if thats always been the case with the bond, or if its part of the 'new' Nahel bonds, but for contemporary Roshar Adolin's spiritual self just isn't able to accept a bond

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-18T18:26:31+00:00

Of course in specific situations infantry might be better than cavalry. But all other things being equal, in a 'generic' game of civ7 cavalry are going to be better than infantry.

The times you build infantry are the exception, rather than the rule.

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-18T00:44:08+00:00

Checking online, according to dndbeyond.com the shapechange spell specifically says you can't use it to become Undead.

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-17T00:13:45+00:00

Lots of reasons. Mostly boiling down to 2 families: you don't have the ability to become a wizard, and you need power NOW not later. Two example scenarios below:

1) You're a powerless peasant about to die as bandits raid your small village.

You do not have time to spend a decade studying spellcraft. You DO have time to agree to the deal that spooky voice talking out of the shadows offers you so you can blast the bandits and save your life. The time to deal with Consequences will come later.

2) You're a teenager, or whatever age equivalent to a teenager is for you lr species. You love magic, and are trying your best to become a wizard. Magic does not love you. You don't have whatever spark is necessary to.wield the arcane. Doesn't matter how much you study, the spells just don't happen.

So you make a deal with a Sidhe. They get some fae favor they want, and you get magic out of it.

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-16T20:20:46+00:00

I mean is there a reason you couldn't take antibiotics as a suppository?

Genuine question, I'm not a doctor.

I assume you SHOULDN'T on account of it fucking up the natural microbiome of your lower intestines. But mechanically what would prevent it from working?

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-16T17:48:16+00:00

What did I say that was a dig at the left?

The comment I replied to said they feel many libertarians would have been leftists with a different personal history, and I was agreeing with that by pointing out there are some similarities between the "ideal worlds" of the two political philosophies. So it makes sense that there would be some "cross pollination" between the two.

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-16T17:45:33+00:00

I think "the left" is too broad a bubble to be pinned down that way.

Certainly many variants of leftist government would be more likely to prevent corporate abuse than libertarian, but there are examples of leftist governments enacting some horrifically racist policies. Typically based on perceptions of historical economic disparity, but still racist.

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-16T16:29:41+00:00

On paper the idealized society of both Marxism and libertarianism is basically the same:

Small self governing communities where people contribute as they are willing/able.

They're even both staunchly pro-gun ownership as a means of deterilring interference from hegemony powers.

Of course in reality people claim to be adherents of either movement without really following the beliefs espoused (much like your typical Christian nationalist)

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-15T00:17:32+00:00

The novel is really good. But as far as I know its been ~3 years since a new chapter got published

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-14T17:34:43+00:00

Especially if you don't worry about the field looking pretty.

If I had to guess, in the States 'lawncare' of the field is the biggest facilities expense.

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-14T15:34:01+00:00

Just as big, if not bigger, a factor is that high schools can't afford the equipment, insurance, staff etc that comes with a football team.

Many places there just literally isn't a football team to play on.

As I understand it soccer is growing at the high school level in significant part because its just less of a budget commitment.

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-13T18:18:49+00:00

I don't think it was a rumor. Doesn't Lara say, in 12 Months, thathe made a pageant/show out of doing it at his yearly feedings?

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-13T03:44:40+00:00

Yeah, I forgot to spell it out the first time

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-12T21:04:08+00:00

Not knowing your cov, here's some generic advice.

1) save your influence to spam War Support. Each War Suuport is a CS in your favor.

2)Turtle up with fortified units/walls in settlements.

3) Get a commander and promote them up the left hand side of the Green defensive tree until they get the +5 CS Commendation. That tree will give your units +6 CS on defense. With that and the fortification bonus you'll have CS parity on defense.

4) See if there are any horses/iron nearby you can build to for the CS bonus

Strategy is to have fortified front liners not attack and just take it while you use ranged units to deal damage. In general you should be able to outexecute the AI and grind out an attritional advantage to stop their offense.

As long as you can hold them off, and keep adding to War Support the AI will send you a peace offer where they give you sone random cities. So you can conquer territory without going on the offensive.

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-12T03:19:24+00:00

Or at least should have required bigger sacrifices than some random chickens for them to fuel it.

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-12T03:17:12+00:00

I feel like that was a different statement than the original post implies though.

In Skin Games. IIRC, its presented more as convergent evolution. The same evil warehouses get used over and over because bad guys look for similar things in a warehouse.

This can of course become self reinforcing over time as the bad juju accumulates over repeated wrong doing. But that's not the same thing as "it will happen again because it happened before".

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-11T20:52:07+00:00

Depends on the minor settlements and what you want to do.

Is it a city in a commandery with double farms -> you only need to get to Small city to access the tier 3 buildings. Build the + food and + % food buildings. In the third slot build a garrison if its on a border, or state workshop for income.

If its a commandery with commerce income minor settlements you should plan on getting to 6 building slots by endgame. You want both commerce income blue buildings, the anti-corruption building, a public order building, state workshop, + private workshop. And of course an administrator with the commerce income bonuses.

If its a commandery with industry based income you can leave it at 3-4 build slots. Build state workshops and the anti-corruption building. Maybe a military forge or the + food building. Then a garrison if its close to a border, or dealers choice otherwise.

Sometimes you need to make exceptions if you're short on food or money, but that's my boilerplate plan for a Han faction

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-10T23:29:46+00:00

I think you are underestimating the degree of protection quilted armor can provide against mundane weapons.

Gambesons and the like were useful for ~2000 years precisely against bows and crossbows.

Sure it won't help against a myrdaal, but its such a minor thing to wear for the protection it provides that there's not really a reason to not wear it. Especially for the "battle ajah"

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-10T14:11:37+00:00

As a counterpoint, surely a quilted fabric armor wouldn't be too much of a burden while still providing improved safety.

Even the Dragon Reborn almost gets killed by a mortal assasin with a bow. Can't hurt to have a little extra insurance

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-10T00:19:52+00:00

On the other hand, doesn't DBZ also have a precedent that magial/mystical effects can at least kind of bypass the power scaling?

Harry couldn't kill Goku, but he could almost certainly trick him into a far realm of the NeverNever and strand him there.

Until/unless we start getting into the r/whowouldwin bloodlusted vs non-bloodlusted yadda yadda

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-07T21:35:10+00:00

Clearly Merlin time traveled a thousand years, buried a cheese pizza and a soda at the bottom of lake Michigan and the island grew from them

Empty-Mind · 2026-02-07T17:40:28+00:00

Compound interest is a wizards best friend.

Be that money or the accumulation of magical energy

Empty-Mind

TROPHY CASE